Original version

BBC World Service

BBC World Service Radio

World Service Radio

Witness History

Podcasts

Factual: History

History as told by the people who were there

History as told by the people who were there.

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

Witness History: The creation of the state of Israel

Documentaries

The creation of the state of Israel

14/05/2024 GMT

BBC World Service - Witness History, The creation of the state of Israel

In 1948, the state of Israel was declared

On 14 May 1948, 200 dignitaries gathered to witness the establishment of the state of Israel. Zionist leader Arieh Handler was among them.

On 14 May 1948, the state of Israel was proclaimed.

Tears and applause met the declaration, witnessed by 200 dignitaries, but fighting intensified in the days that followed.

In 2010, Arieh Handler and Zipporah Porath spoke to Lucy Williamson about that day and its fallout.

(Photo: Young Jewish people celebrate the new state. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Witness History

The creation of the state of Israel

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service

About BBC World Service